December 08, 2006
ToneLadder
Sounding Balance
ToneLadder is a household ladder extended with a melodic function and made into a musical instrument. Stepping on a bar of the ladder creates a sound or tone which is different from rung to rung. This way, the ToneLadder can be used as a musical performing device. Most electronic music is performed quite similar using keyboards and laptops. ToneLadder offers and alternative way of performing music by letting the artist trigger sound loops by balancing on the ladder.
The technical implementation consists of special sensors attached close to the top of each bar of the ladder. If one of these sensors is triggered by a foot or hand, an analog signal is sent to a processing unit which transforms the incoming analog signal into a MIDI signal. This signal is then either sent to a computer or processed directly by a hardware music sampler. The sent signal triggers a specific sound loop or tone for each bar of the ladder. By hitting the bar soft or hard, the user can influence the volume and the modulation of the sound as well. ToneLadder can also be used to trigger live video streams.
ToneLadder is available in a basic version, a dynamic ladder, and a wireless wall-ladder. Check out the demo video and a video of the wireless wall-ladder. ToneLadder is exhibited at this years Nordic Exceptional Trendshop in Copenhagen. [posted by Lene Mailund on Digital Experience]
Posted by jo at December 8, 2006 08:40 AM
